


War on Dragons

by Aweebwrites



Series: Here be Dragons [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Dimension Travel, Dragons, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 11:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19131499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: Now that the dragons are back home, two months are long enough for them to defeat the Oni... Right?





	War on Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my lovely beta thelucariofish whom I love very much!

I’m surprised you haven’t rushed to their dimension already.” Nya says, watching her brother fondly as he sunbathed, wings spread wide as he laid on his back out in the training yard.

It’s only been a day since they’ve been gone but she knew it has been a whole month in the Dragon dimension.

“Don’t get me wrong. I totally will. But they’re dealing with Oni right now and I think it’s best not to interfere too much with their dimension, you know?” Kai says quietly as he stared up at the sky with finely slitted amber eyes, unable to hide the worry in his voice.

He hoped they were doing ok. Oni in any dimension are a royal pain.

“So when will you visit?” Nya asked curiously, prodding at his scaled cheek from where she sat, leaning over him.

“Tomorrow morning.” Kai told her, then snapped his sharp teeth at her finger, careful to not actually bite her.

“You know… Someone should come with you… Just in case that is.” Nya says and Kai smirked, knowing that this was coming.

“I am actually planning on bringing someone with me…” Kai says thoughtfully, not missing when Nya perked up. “Lloyd.” He says and she deflated.

“Just kidding.” He laughed then sat up, folding his wings against his back before turning around to look at her.

“I plan on bringing all of you along. We could spend a few days with ease and only be gone a few hours after all. I’m sure Sensei Wu wouldn't mind.” Kai shrugged then smirked, flashing sharp teeth and fangs. “In fact, he would probably want to tag along for the sake of undiscovered teas.” He chuckled and Nya joined.

“Should we pack anything?” She asked as she stood.

“Just the usual things one would pack for a camping trip.” Kai shrugged then paused. “Just… It may be a good idea to pack weapons. We wouldn't let anything happen to you but it's quite literally a jungle in there.” He warned, getting to his feet too.

“I'll make sure to bring an extra spear.” Nya nods to herself.

“A good ide-” Nya looked to Kai when he suddenly stopped talking.

His gaze was fixated on the ground, on a red dot to be more specific.

“Oh here we go again.” She sighed, watching as Kai pounced at where the spot was.

He kept his sharp gaze on it as it moved around rapidly, pouncing only to miss every time. Jay snickered from where he was, holding the laser by the door, Cole struggling to hold his laughs in as Jay made the dot go up the wall, Kai growling as he followed after it, digging his claws into the wall. Jay sent the dot off the wall, making it appear as if it went into the sky. Kai jumped off the wall, using his wings to keep him airborne as he searched the sky, trying to find that pesky dot. It was only when both Jay and Cole burst out laughing did he snap out of it.

“You jerks.” He sneered as he allowed himself to drop from the air, landing on all fours.

“And- and he- he climbed the wall! Like a spider!” Jay wheezed to Cole as they both hunched over, laughing.

“What's so funny?” Lloyd asked from behind the two laughing idiots, rubbing his eye with the back his blackened hand, a yawn revealing his fangs and lower tusks.

“Jay!” Cole says excitedly, smacking Jay.

Lloyd looked at then with confused red eyes as Jay gasped.

 

“No Lloyd! It's a trap!” Kai yelled after him but Jay had already turned the laser pointer on, Lloyd's pupils blown wide at the sight of it on the ground.

Jay moved it around, Lloyd growing tense before he pounced, Jay moving it out of the way before he could reach it. Jay laughed as he led Lloyd outside with the speck of light, watching him paw at it once he was quick enough to catch it in one place. Kai tried to resist. He really did. The next sudden move and both of them pounced at it, narrowly avoiding collision.

Nya covered her smile as she watched the two chase after the small red dot. They were both like cats. Adorable. It was Zane to the rescue. He had come to figure out what the commotion was all about and spotted what his friends were doing. He snatched the laser pointer from Jay, who immediately protested.

“Hey! I was using that!” He held, reaching for it.

“I will not allow you to use it in this manner.” Zane says seriously, glaring at them.

“Oh come on Zane. We were just having some fun!” Cole says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah! So give it back!” Jay huffed.

“Fun?” Zane says with narrowed eyes. “Do they look like they're having fun?” He says, gesturing to Kai who was hovering defensively over Lloyd who looked thoroughly embarrassed and seconds away from crying.

“Shit, Lloyd…” Cole says regretfully as he walked forward but Lloyd crept back and Kai stood on all fours before him, wings spread wide defensively as he growled at him.

“That wasn't cool. This was one of the reasons why Lloyd didn't want to show us this part of him. Because he thought we'd treat him like some kind of circus freak. I may not mind it but you can't assume others don't either.” Kai growled out before turning around and tucking his arms under Lloyd's before taking flight, heading down the mountain but not all the way.

He set him down still relatively close to the top then pulled him into a hug, wrapping his wing around him.

“I should have never-”

“Don't say that.” Kai says, cutting him off. “I'm glad we found out. This was hurting you and now we can help you. Jay and Cole were just being insensitive jerks.” He says angrily then sighed.

“They weren't thinking. They wouldn't purposefully do something like this to hurt you.” He says, looking out at the cloud cover just below.

“That's just it.” Lloyd whispered then shifted so he was sitting next to Kai rather than slouching heavily against him. “I know they wouldn't do it on purpose. But… That's just how people are. They treat people who are different like monsters or pets without even thinking about it. It doesn't make it hurt any less… I… No one else can see me like this.” He says, looking down at his odd feet hanging over the edge of the mountain.

“... If that's what you want.” Kai spoke quietly, looking across at him. “But this is who you are. You'll have to accept it fully one day. Not because we're telling you to. But for your own peace of mind.” He says, placing a clawed paw on Lloyd's shoulder.

“I guess.” Was all Lloyd says, looking down at his own clawed hands.

They weren't as advanced as Kai's paw like hands but they were odd enough. The skin of his palms was thick to allow him to walk on them without irritation. His pointed ear twitched at a small sound nearby and glanced behind them to see Kai's long reptilian tail sweeping the ground slowly.

“Say Kai…” He says, gaining his friend, his brother's attention.

“Yeah?” Kai answers, looking at him curiously.

“... What's it like having a tail?” He asked and Kai looked back at it, said tail lifting itself closer to his gaze.

“Really weird at first but you get used to it. Sadly, I still haven't learned to use it as deliberately as the others but I'm getting there.” He shrugs then laid it in his paw. “Growing this bad boy was where the real challenge was. Let me tell you all about it…” He says, launching into another story about his epic dimensional escapade.

____________

“Lloyd.” Jay says, getting to his feet from his place seated on the steps leading inside the Monastery once he and Kai returned.

“It’s ok. I know you guys didn't mean to do it on purpose.” Lloyd says as he walked up to he, Cole and Nya.

“That doesn't make what we did right.” Cole says, all three of them looking guilty.

“I should have said something instead of just standing there. I'm really sorry Lloyd.” Nya whispered, hanging her head guiltily.

“It wasn't cool for me to do that thing with the laser without asking. I threw it out but I'm really sorry, Lloyd. You too, Kai. I never asked you if you were ok with it.” Jay says remorsefully as he rubbed his arm.

“I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have egged Jay on…” Cole apologized, looking away from them.

“It's in the past.” Lloyd waved it off with a small smile. “Just… Even though this is apart of me, of who I am… I'm not used to it yet. I… I would appreciate a little consideration.” He says, small smile turning into a small frown as he looked down.

“Of course.” Nya says immediately, walking closer to him. “You shouldn't have to even ask…”

“We can definitely do considerate.” Cole nods as he walked over as well.

“Heck! I can do considerate for days! Forever even!” Jay grinned and Lloyd gave a small smile again.

“Thanks…”

______________

“How long do you think we should stay for Sensei?” Zane asked as he checked his bag early the next day.

“As Vortica said, the longer one stays there, the higher the risk of the dimension adopting you. Kai started seeing changes in his second month there so it's safe to say any time over a month would be risky.” Wu told them, one hand folded behind his back and the other holding his staff.

“But considering that time feels the same as it does here, I doubt we'd actually spend that long of a time there.” Kai says as he set aside his very full bag of food for them. “We'll probably be in there a week at best. Just a few hours here.” He shrugged.

“How comes you're bringing nothing? I mean, sure you're used to the place but- literally nothing?” Cole questioned.

“It’s like you said. I'm used to the place.” Kai says with a smirk then pulled out the Dimensional Crystal. “I'll go make sure things are all cleared up first.” He says, stepping out into the training yard.

“In and out.” Nya warned though she was more worried than anything else.

“I promise Sis.” Kai says confidently before holding up the crystal, creating a swirling magenta portal before him.

He then grinned before hopping through, the portal vanishing with him.

“How long do you think he'll be in there for?” Jay asked Nya, who prided herself with knowing as much as possible about her brother's favorite dimension.

“He should be back-”

The portal reopened, gaining their attention. Kai suddenly flew through, collapsing onto the ground, battered and injured, the Dimensional Crystal rolling out of his clawed hand.

**_“Kai!”_ **

______________

_ On the other side… _

Kai stepped out onto familiar mossy ground, breathing in the clean air of his favorite dimension. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the dark. It was nightfall? He frowned. No. Something was very wrong here. He looked around the unfamiliar opening as he tucked the crystal away. Where… where were the lights? The fauna and flora alike should be glowing and lighting up the ground. He looked up at the sky then frowned. What kind of clouds were those? Hmm. Now that he thought about it, they reminded him of-

“Shit!” He yelled then shot up into the air, narrowly dodging dark tentacles that were coming at him. “Oh great. They're still here!” He growled, spotting glowing pink eyes in the dark.

He froze, his heart feeling as if it had stopped. But if they're still here then… _What about his family?!_ He quickly shot further up, through the clouds he was surprised he could somehow survive in. Once he shot past it, he looked around. He gasped once he spotted a massive mountain range ahead.

“This must be where they live.” Kai whispered to himself before flying towards it, further and further up their impossible heights.

He roared as he did, calling out to them, to any of them. He yelped once he was plucked out of the air by a wild vine. He coughed and it squeezed tightly, a low growl sounding.

'You die here, Oni.’ A growl sounded and he saw glowing hazel eyes approaching him.

Another Dragon?

'I'm not an Oni! I'm trying to find my family! Lloyd, Garmadon! Have you seen them?’ He asked, trying to squirm free.

'What makes you think I'd listen to any lies you have to spill?!’ The new Dragon growled at him and another vine wrapped around him.

‘Alright. Said to assume you're this world's version of Bolobo.’ Kai wheezed.

'What's going on here?’ He whipped around at that voice.

‘Blaze! Tell him I'm not an Oni!’ Kai wheezed out.

‘Liar! Our friend is safe in his own world! You are an imposter!’ Blaze growled, gathering fire in his maw and Kai perked up.

_That's it!_ He took a deep breath, gathering heat in his lower stomach, making his abdomen glow with it. He then breathed out, using his Dragon breath to burn the plants away, startling them.

'Kai?’ Blaze asked, eyes wide.

'I told you it was me.’ Kai huffed as he looked up at his friend. ‘What’s going on? Why are the Oni still around?’ He asked him, concerned.

'They've evolved, recognised their own powers. They are too powerful! It's all we can do to prevent them from getting further up the slopes.’ Blaze told him, still alarmed before growing serious. 'It's dangerous here. I don't know how you got here but you should never have come.’ He told him, looking around warily.

'No way. I'm not gonna-’

'Oni!’ All of them looked to the slopes below, covered in the dark clouds.

Green eyes glowed from the darkness.

'Kai…’

'Lloyd?’ Kai whispered surprised.

'No. That isn't Lloyd.’ Blaze says, pulling him back with his tail.

'You're here Kai! I missed you!’ 'Lloyd’ says as he walked out of the shadows.

'My son…’ Kai stumbled back when 'Garmadon’ speak, coming out of the shadows next to Lloyd.

Kai looked horrified.

Bolobo roared, using his nature powers to summon vines to hold them down.

'Aah! Kai! Help me!’ 'Lloyd’ yelled, struggling against the vines while Kai just stood there, frozen.

Instincts say save his family but his mind is telling him that they weren't his brother and father.

'Kai, you have to head back to your world! The Oni are-’

'Incoming!’ Someone yelled and they looked up- eyes wide at the massive boulder heading towards them.

There was a roar then impact.

____

When Kai came to, it was to Dragons and imitations brawling and Cole using his earth to keep back as much of them as he could. He groaned as he sat up, wincing as his head throbbed. He touched his temple and honestly wasn't surprised to feel blood. There was utter chaos around him, shifting Oni, powers being tossed back and forth and-

'You have to go while you can…’ He looked across at Blaze, his eyes wide to see him lying there.

'Blaze! Are you-’ He paused to wince in pain as he dragged himself closer to his Dragon self. ‘Are you ok? Can you get up?’ He asked worried.

'I'm fine. Just a little bruised. You have to go. You'll be safe in your own world.’ He told him and Kai was about to decline but then he remembered: the others could help! They could all help them!

'I'll bring back help. We'll take down these jerks once and for all!’ Kai promised, taking out the Dimensional Crystal.

'He has the crystal!’ Kai whipped his head around to see 'Lloyd’ charging at him.

He grunted once a large paw stepped on his chest, sharp teeth just inches from his face. They roared and stumbled away however, once flames hit them.

'Go!’ Blaze yelled, on his feet now but looking shaky.

Kai swallowed but nodded, holding up the crystal and allowing the portal to open up. He used his wings instead of his weak limbs and flew through, narrowly avoiding a dark tentacle.

______________________

“He's bleeding!” Nya says, panicked as they brought him into the Monastery.

“Cole, take Nya and the others outside. Zane, with me.” Wu instructs as he began to inspect the wound on Kai's forehead.

“You heard the Sensei.” Cole says, ushering them all out, despite their protests.

“I don't get it? What happened?!” Nya says frustrated and worried as she paced.

“Did he go to the right place?” Lloyd asked, agitated and worried.

“Vortica says it only goes to one place.” Jay pointed out.

“What if this was her plan? To lure us into trusting her so she could wipe us out?!” Nya gasped.

“That doesn't make any sense. There's no motivation. None whatsoever. She can travel dimensions. Why waste her time getting rid of us when there must be at least one dimension out there where… We don't exist.” Jay says with a frown.

“We have to think logically. Kai said they were fighting against Oni there. Maybe they haven't won as yet.” Cole pointed out.

“And maybe Kai flew right into their crossfire.” Lloyd says, crossing his clawed hands.

He has yet to transform back since it still hurt.

“That seems more logical.” Nya sighs, coming to a stop. “We have to wait until he wakes up to know for sure.” She whispered, looking at the closed door her brother was behind.

_________

“Blaze!” Kai yelled as he jolted awake- only to immediately hiss as his head began to pound.

“Take it easy. You need to rest some more.” He blinked across at Nya once she urged him to lay down.

“No, I can't.” Kai says, pushing her hands away then gingerly sitting up. “We have to go. We have to help them! The- the Oni are too strong for them!” He yells, then grunted as his head began throbbing.

“Kai, you aren't in any shape to take on Oni! You have to rest a little!” Nya insist.

“I don't have time for rest!” He snapped at her then began panicking. “How long have I been out?! If we don't help them then they may lose! The Oni there are different! We have to help!” He insists desperately.

Nya wanted to insist he rests more but she knew her brother. That wasn’t going to happen as long as his other family was in danger too.

“... I’ll get the others.” She says as she stood and Kai sat there anxiously, ever passing second like agony to him.

After a minute or so, Nya returned with everyone else, Sensei Wu included.

“We need to go. They need help.” Kai insisted before anyone else had a chance to speak.

“I do not think this is the wisest idea.” Wu began and Kai opened up his mouth to argue but Wu stopped him by holding a hand up. “But I know I cannot stop you. Take the others with you. Just be safe.” He told him firmly yet gently.

Kai sighed in relief but nodded.

_ Hold on guys… _

_______________________________________

“Everyone have their gliders?” Kai asked, checking his swords he strapped to his sides, planning on going all out.

“Yup. We have everything we’ll need.” Nya says and Lloyd nodded next to her, all of them wearing their game faces.

“Good.” Kai says then held up the crystal, creating the portal leading to the other dimension. “We’ll be back soon Sensei.” He spoke quietly, looking back at their Sensei who watched them from a safe distance.

“I know you will.” Wu says with a nod.

Kai looked at him for a moment longer before looking away and walking through the magenta portal. He looked around at the last point he was previously. The clouds were much closer but there was no Oni in sight. There was Nya and Cole’s Dragon counterparts however.

‘Blaze told us you might show up. It’s why we kept patrolling here these 4 moons.’ Dragon Nya says, nuzzling him in greeting.

‘And I brought some help.’ Kai told her before sticking his head through the portal and nodding at the others.

He then stepped aside and let all five of them walk out.

“Never thought I’d see those clouds again.” Cole says with a grimace, looking at the space behind the portal.

‘We should move while we can. The Oni attack at random.’ Dragon Cole says, on alert.

‘Right.’ Kai nodded then turned to his friends. “We’re moving. To the top of the mountain.” He says, gesturing to the area covered by fog waaaayyy ahead.

“Uh. Any chance we can book a ride?” Jay asked and Kai couldn’t help his smirk.

_______________________________

“This is like learning how to ride a Dragon all over again!” Cole yelled, clinging to the scales on his Dragon counterpart’s back.

“This is actually pretty cool!” Nya yelled from hers, watching the land below pass by rapidly.

“This is quite unsafe!” Zane yelled as Lloyd whooped from his space behind Nya.

“It's perfectly safe! These guys wouldn't let us fall!” Jay yelled from his space before a terrified Cole then paused and looked over at Kai flying between both Dragons. “Right?” He asked and Kai nodded, a wan smile on his face.

He was happy they were having fun but… He frowned as he focused ahead. These Oni are obviously tougher than the Oni they fought in Ninjago. Craftier too. He hopes Garmadon and Wu had a plan because he sure didn't.

'Everything will be fine.' He looked across at Lloyd who looked back at him. 'We'll get rid of these guys in no time. You'll see.' He crooned and Kai gave a more genuine smile.

"I didn't know you spoke Dragon." Nya says, looking back at Lloyd who shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"Hey! Nothing to be embarrassed about!" Cole yelled across at him. "I sure wish I could speak Dragon.” He says wistfully, still clinging to his Dragon counterpart.

“Is that…?” They looked ahead and they all gasped at the sight that laid ahead of them. At the very top of the mountain was a larger, opened concept of the Monastery. Kai didn’t know why he was surprised but he was.

Both Dragons landed in the middle of the massive snow free training yard, the other Dragons who were around lifting their heads. It seems like they all gathered here. Already he could see Tox, Shade, Skylor and more.

‘Who are they?’

‘ _ What _ are they?’

‘I’ve never seen creatures like them before.’

‘They’re small. Smaller than the Oni.’

‘They can’t be the help the elders were speaking of.’

‘What good are they? They’re so-’

‘I’m not deaf you know.’ Kai growled, looking at the Dragons around them. ‘This isn’t the time to judge. It’s a time to fight for our home. Like it or not, we’re going to help you do it.’ He declared, standing tall with wings spread wide, instinctually commanding respect.

‘... You can’t be serious.’ Shade says from where he sat with his paws crossed, looking at them unimpressed.

‘If you have a problem with them, you have a problem with us.’ Dragon Nya growled as she spread her wings.

‘You’ll have one with all of us.’ Kai looked around and saw Lloyd walk out of the main building, the Dragon versions of Jay, Zane, and Blaze himself walk out of the Dragon- sized Monastery.

‘Lloyd, Blaze.’ Kai says then flew over, nuzzling them both. ‘Are you alright Blaze?’ He asked, looking him over, spotting the fresh scar over his left eye, mirroring his own.

‘I’m fine. It may have been moments ago for you but it’s been days here.’ Blaze says confidently. ‘Wu and Garmadon want to speak to all of you.’ He says, glancing over at the rest of them.

Kai and Lloyd nodded while the other four stood there awkwardly.

“Let’s go guys.” Lloyd says and they all walked ahead, Kai landing on all fours before them, looking around as he walked in.

It occurred to Lloyd then that walking on all fours was normal here. With a moment of hesitation, he dropped down on all four too, feeling the pressure he put his legs under lessen immediately. He couldn’t hide the purr of relief in time.

‘I see you have still been pushing yourself, Lloyd.’ He looked up at Garmadon as he and Wu sat, waiting for them. 

‘I’ve been trying not to.’ Lloyd says, not about to deny it.

‘It’s a start but we’ve been working on it.’ Kai says, glancing across at Lloyd, their claws lightly tapping the ground with each step.

‘It’s a start.’ Wu nods. ‘Let me begin by thanking you all for your help. It is unfortunate but we do need it.’ He says solemnly.

‘How are thing so far? Do you have a plan?’ Kai asked anxiously, tail flicking nervously.

‘Things have not been going well.’ Garmadon was afraid to admit. ‘The Oni have gained knowledge in the short period of time they have had the Dimensional Crystal. They out strategize us at every turn. They use the dark cover as a means of protection. Morro has been trying to keep the clouds back but the thicker they get, the harder it becomes to blow them back. Many of our kind have fallen prey to their cloud, immobilized in stone.’ He informed them and Kai frowned- then realised something.

‘Wait- you guys can’t go into the clouds… But when I first got here, I came under the cloud cover, flew through it.’ Kai told them and they made sounds, similar to a gasp.

‘You are immune? Are you all immune?’ Wu queries.

‘I’m not sure. But back when this happened in our world, my dad and I were. The thing is, we have oni blood. It’s why I look like I do now.’ Lloyd says, looking at his blackened hand.

‘... This changes things. They possess the same powers as the others. They may be the key to winning this war.’ Wu says to his brother who looked at Kai with worry.

The ‘human’ was just as much as a son to him as his Lloyd was. Putting both his sons in danger like this was something he did not want, But what choice did he have?

‘They can’t go alone!’ Dragon Lloyd protested, walking over. ‘The Oni are dangerous, manipulative. We need several of us to fight just one.  They won’t be able to! They aren’t strong enough to!’ He says to his father with a growl.

‘Hey, we can take care of ourselves.’ Lloyd says with a growl at his Dragon counterpart. ‘We taken on baddies like this almost daily! We may not be big, bad Dragons but we aren’t defenseless either!’ He says, standing unwaveringly as his Dragon counterpart approached, far bigger than he but still somewhat smaller than the others.

‘Guys-’

‘That was your world. This is a completely different world. This is completely bigger than you. You don’t even know what the Oni are like! Just because you may have defeated an evil entity or two does not make you a dimensional professional.’ Dragon Lloyd growled at his human counterpart who got on his hind legs so he could stare his Dragon self down.

‘Boys, this isn’t-’

‘Oh? And are you? You’ve been living a sheltered life, always having the others, always having your father to look after you. You’ve been on your own- what? A month? Two? I’ve been on my own for practically all of my life. I’ve been hated for longer than I’ve been alive. I’ve had to fight every single day, whether it’s some new villain or myself.’ Lloyd spat at his Dragon self as the anger bled out of the green Dragon’s face. ‘I never claimed to be a professional at fighting villains and most times, I wish I didn’t have any experience with it whatsoever but here we are. Tell me  _ Lloyd _ . What experience do you have with fighting villains? Monsters? Bad Dragons?’ He hissed and Dragon Lloyd just looked at him speechless.

‘I thought so.’ Lloyd says with narrowed eyes then turned away, running off on all fours.

“Lloyd!” “Wait!” “Where are you going?!” “What just happened?” “Come back!”

“I’ll get him.” Kai says, turning towards the exit, wings spread wide.

‘No. I will.’ Dragon Lloyd says and Kai only hesitated a moment before nodding.

He watched as he took off in a trot then a run, still worried but he trusts Lloyd.

‘It’s true that Lloyd has lived a sheltered life but he has also experienced his fair share of things. He, much like your Lloyd, wishes for no-one else to experience it. It will take time but he will come to an understanding that he cannot prevent everything, cannot stop all that is bad in this- or any world.’ Wu says and Kai sighed with a nod.

“I know. It doesn’t stop me from worrying though…” He whispered in English and the others shared a lost look. ‘For now, we should start talking strategy.’ He says determinedly and the elders nodded.

Lloyd on the other hand glared off the edge of a cliff, not at all intimidated by the impossible fall that awaits below. He doesn’t know anything. He sunk his claws into the rock. He wished he didn’t have to. He didn’t bother to look around to know that the footsteps approaching belonged to a Dragon, namely himself.

‘Lloyd.’ He spoke and Lloyd sneered.

‘Look, just forget about it, ok?’ Lloyd says in an irritated growl.

‘I really can’t.’ His Dragon self says, coming to sit next to him. ‘Let me apologise. I was wrong.’ He began and Lloyd sighed.

‘It’s fine. We shouldn’t be fighting. We should be working together to try and defeat the Oni.’ Lloyd says, looking up at his Dragon self. ‘For now-’ He cut himself off, noticing something when his Dragon self looked at him.

Just for a split second, his eyes glowed magenta. This- He wasn’t the real him! He opened his mouth to alert the others but he was suddenly wacked hard over the head. He saw glowing magenta eyes and felt the feeling of falling before everything went black. The intruder dove after him, catching him in their front paws before flying down the mountain. The real Lloyd walked over then, confused. His human-oni self's scent ended here. He looked standing, near the edge of the cliff before he felt fear and horror fill him as he looked down. 

_No. No way._

Without a thought, he jumped over, using his wings to glide down, trying to see if he had fallen over. He scanned the cliff the entire way down the slope then stopped just above the clouds. He looked back up then down again. The cliff may be too far up from here but one thing was certain. Lloyd didn't fall. Or if he did, he didn't hit the ground. He couldn't have simply disappeared either. He can't fly too. Then that could only mean… He looked down at the clouds horrified before quickly flying up to the Monastery in a panic.

'... this move we all can do called the tornado of creation. It's what we used to defeat the Oni in our realm.' Kai was telling Wu and Garmadon. 'Basically-' He cut himself off all of them looking to Lloyd as he rushed in, making distressed sounds.

'Lloyd. What is it?' Garmadon asked, immediately moving to his son's side.

'It's Lloyd.' He says quickly and Kai felt his stomach drop. 'He's gone!' He says urgently and Kai swore.

"Woah there Kai. Watch the lang-"

"Lloyd's missing." Kai says, cutting Cole off.

"What?! Where could he have gone?" Zane asked, worriedly.

'Tell us exactly what happened Lloyd.' Garmadon says calmly to help calm his panicking son.

Lloyd was quick to tell them everything he knew and all of them wore worried expressions.

"He couldn't have just disappeared. He doesn't have wings. He can't fly unless-" Kai cut himself off, looking horrified. "Unless someone flew for him." He whispered, looking up at the three Dragons who shared the same expression.

"How can someone fly for him?" Jay says, confused and anxious.

"Are you saying one of the Dragons took him?" Nya asked, worried.

"A Dragon took him alright. But that Dragon's no Dragon. It was an Oni." Kai whispered and they all gasped.

_______

Lloyd woke up with a groan, the sound of running water filling his ears. He blinked his glowing red eyes open slowly, finding himself looking around a cave of some kind, the bioluminescent water and crystals there giving the entire cave a low blue-green glow. What happened? He tried to get up but blinked, realising he couldn't move. More like something was holding him in place. A look down revealed that he had his body tied up using some kind of vine. He struggled against it, trying to use his claws to cut himself free but his hands were tied separately, forced to stay planted wide against the column of rock. Crap. How did he get in this mess? He leaned his head back against the stone then winced a little as he irritated a sore spot on the back of his head. He blinked. That's right. He remembered now. That Oni disguising themselves as his Dragon self, hitting him over the back of his head then falling. He must be in their lair. But… Where are they?

'It seems as if the pup is awake…' A hiss came and Lloyd sat stiffly, his glowing red eyes darting around to spot the source.

'We will let Omega know…' Another hiss- and great.

There was an Omega here too. Lloyd didn't even hear their footsteps as they left which concerned him. Had they even left? He didn't have much time to ponder when he actually does hear footsteps from behind, approaching him. His ears twitched nervously with each step, not knowing what was to come. Maybe if he used his powers… He gathered his green power-

"Ow!" He yelled out once his hands were smacked.

"So it is true what they say." A low voice says, the fact that they were speaking English, speaking like a human distracting Lloyd from the stinging of the back of his hands. "A pup with the power of the Dragons. A hybrid. Fascinating…" They continued and Lloyd swallowed.

"You won't get away with this! My friends will come!" Lloyd growled at them.

A low chuckle filled the cave before the dark figure walked around to face him and- wow, he wasn't expecting them to be female. She was tall. At least twice his size with the glowing magenta eyes all Oni seem to possess. Her skin was as dark as night and just like the Oni from their realm, she possessed no hair or bust. Rather, large, heavy looking horns and overgrown tusks and fangs. She even bore several light gray scars that showed her position was hard fought. The staff she carried was similar to the one the Omega from their realm carried but it possessed two jewels. A black diamond at the base and a clear, almost familiar crystal in the oblong space at the top.

"Do not worry little one." She says, cradling his chin with a large hand, her claws half the length of her fingers. "I count on it. But for now, you have much to learn…" She says, releasing his chin and Lloyd swallowed, not liking where she was taking this.

_____________________

"Not even a day in and Lloyd gets kidnapped." Jay says, looking at the rainbow fish Kai had always told them of with a grimace.

He's resorted to eating it raw. It was an accident at first. He was so distracted with his worry for Lloyd that he took a bite out of it- then found he liked it even more raw. 

"Not the time, Jay." Cole says as Nya shot him a glare.

"I'm sorry. You guys know I don't handle tense silence well." Jay says then took another bite out of his protein bar.

"Luckily, you won’t have to. We’ll get Lloyd back.” Nya says, glancing over at Kai as he stared into the fire pit the Dragons were all curled up around.

Night was falling fast and the Oni are even stronger then. They couldn’t risk going after him at such a critical time but that was the least of their problems. The Oni were shapeshifters, manipulators. Even while taking the shape of a Dragon they weren’t very strong. But they were smarter. Clever. And that’s where they have a problem. They had to outsmart them, had to find a way to not only save Lloyd but to end the war. And something told them that wouldn’t be easy. All eyes landed on Kai as he stood suddenly, picking up a few of the rainbow fish and put them in his gi to their disgust.

“I’ll be back.” Was all he said before taking flight, a destination in mind.

He circled the mountain peak and found who he was looking for. He came in to land behind the Monastery where the black and green Dragon was, standing utterly still, utterly focused. He spotted a small pile of food that was bound to start going bad in a few hours and frowned.

‘Morro.’ He says and the Dragon only grunted in acknowledgement. ‘Morro, you have to eat.’ He says, adding his fish to the pile.

‘I have to keep focusing even more. The moment I stop, the clouds will encroach.’ Was all Morro says in an irritated tone, making it clear he’s had this conversation several times before.

‘So when you collapse from hunger and exhaustion, the clouds won’t encroach then?’ Kai says with an unimpressed look.

‘I don’t need this right now Kai.’ Morro growled, green eyes glowing more as he put more effort into the winds circling the clouds wrapping around the middle of the high peak. ‘I have to protect everyone and I need to focus.’ He sneered, flashing his fangs and sharp teeth.

 

‘Yeah? Well I don’t need your dragonshit right now!’ Kai growled and Morro whirled around to look at him surprised. ‘We’ve already lost too many to the cloud and we just lost my Lloyd. I’m not about to let us lose any more to you being a stubborn idiot.’ He says, taking two fish in hand before flying up to his muzzle.

‘Now eat the stupid fish before I make you.’ He says with a warning growl, glaring the wind Dragon down as he held them out.

Morro looked at Kai for a moment longer before slowly opening his maw, allowing Kai to put them both in.

‘You’re gonna eat more than that. Focus on the wind all you want. All you have to do is chew.’ Kai says as he flew down and hovered over the pile of food, picking up what his arms could carry and making several trips to and fro his maw.

The elder Dragons and Lloyd looked down at them from a window in the backing of the Monastery. Morro was too stubborn for them to handle when he was determined. It took an equally stubborn Dragon to get him going. While Blaze tries his best… He isn’t Kai. Garmadon took a moment to feel warmth at how well his son fit in. He may not be true Dragonkin but he already acts like the prince he is. Even while distressed at the loss of his human/oni brother, he still thinks of the others, still ensure their well being. Refusing to take no as an answer. Though, Garmadon wished he didn’t have to resort to such language. Where did he even learn that from? He hadn’t taught him that. He glanced down at his first son, spotting his pained expression.

‘... Come with me, son.’ Garmadon says as he walked away, Lloyd glancing at him before walking behind him, head hung low.

This whole mess was his fault. He just wanted to protect the friends his brother held dear. He just wanted to protect everyone. He shouldn’t have said what he did. Now… There’s a chance he’ll never get to apologize. Will Kai hate him if… He hung his head lower. He wouldn’t blame him. He followed his father out, glancing at the hoard of Dragons curled up around the fire pit in groups, the elemental leaders ensuring that their groups are well and resting. The Shadow Dragons were hard to spot, all but blending into the shadows the fire casted. Their leader, Shade however sat guard. His Shadow powers were strongest, ran deeper and as such, he was appointed leader as it all goes with each element. He turned away and let his father lead him up to the look-out tower he claimed as his sleeping area. His father sat and he paused, looking at the spot next to him before walking over and sitting as well. A large black wing pulled him closer, wrapping around him and he couldn’t help but snuggle closer to his father’s side.

‘Mistakes are inevitable son…’ Garmadon began and Lloyd looked away, looked out at the night sky, filled with star clusters, rings and a large silver moon, the yellow one trailing just behind. ‘But they happen for a reason. So we can learn from them.’ He says, nuzzling him and Lloyd purred, nuzzling him back.

‘I know… I just... ‘ Lloyd looked down. ‘What if we don’t get him back? What if Kai hates me? What if-’ He was cut off by his father using a paw to lift his chin up.

‘What if we do get him back? What if Kai does love you, no matter if we do or don’t?’ Garmadon countered and Lloyd didn’t know what he should make of that. ‘Positivity goes a long way, even when the situation is dire. Your concerns are valid, son. The future is not a certain thing. But if we keep trying our hardest, doing our best then… It looks a little brighter, don’t you think?’ He says, nudging him gently.

Lloyd looked up at his father, feeling warmth in his chest. What would he ever do without him? He nuzzled against him with a purr of thanks, his low croons lulling him to sleep. He blinked sleepily in the safety of his father’s wings. How did his other self survive without him? He remembered what he said before he left. He had been fighting for so long… His lids lowered. They’d make it through this and they’ll get him back. Then… He’d make sure he didn’t have to fight anymore. Even if it’s just for a moment. He had to look out for himself. Garmadon watched as his glowing green eyes disappeared, keeping his son close. While he was nearly an adult, he will never stop being his son, his little hatchling. He looked out at the seemingly endless sky. 

_ If only you could see him now… _

__________________________________

Lloyd grunted as he hit the ground then growled with a sneer, looking back at Omega.

“Again.” She says, urging him to get up.

“I’m not one of you.” He growled, getting to his feet, claws ready to stroke.

“No wonder why you’re so weak.” She says, walking around him, the crowd of Oni watching them. “You are a hybrid between us and them. You bare more powers than you can imagine. You are so quick to accept that you are a descendant of Dragons but refuse to accept that you are Oni.” She hummed as Lloyd watched her warily, throwing a hiss her way.

“Yes, that’s it. Submit to your instincts. You want to be free? Fight!” She grinned then pounced at him, knocking him over.

Lloyd was quick to grab her hand before she could slice at him with her sharp claws then kicked her off. He then pounced instead, baring his fangs at her in a snarl, his claws at her throat.

“Do it.” She whispered and Lloyd stopped snarling, looking at his hand then looking at her.

He couldn’t. He didn’t want to, even though she was holding him captive.

“How disappointing.” She says, narrowing her eyes at him before pinning him to the ground, her hands wrapping around his throat, cutting off his air. "Never hesitate to kill your opponent because they won't hesitate to kill you." She squeezed tighter and pressure built in Lloyd's head as he clawed at her arms.

" _ I _ won't hesitate to kill you." She added in a whisper, her claws pricking into his neck as his vision began to go spotty.

_ She was going to kill him! _

His heart pounded loudly in his ears, her blood from the lacerations he put in her arms flowing down the sides of his throat.

_ He was going to die! _

His hands grew weak, falling away from hers, soiled with her purple blood. He could hear his own heartbeat slowing down, her glowing, glaring magenta eyes beginning to fade away.

Tears fell down the sides of his face.

_ He doesn't want to die… _

She smirked at him and he managed to grit his teeth, red eyes beginning to glow, the glow overcasting his eyes.

_ I… _

He reached up, gripping one of her horns, startling her.

_ I don't want to die! _

He roared as he threw her back by the horn, the she-oni laughing as he did, landing perfectly on her feet a few yards away. The Oni around them began to grunt and growl amongst themselves.

"There we go." She says as Lloyd sat up, coughing and gasping. "And would you feel that power radiating from you?" She says, walking towards him, unphased as the horn he held turned to ash completely.

Lloyd panted heavily, looking down at his clawed hand that had a red glow, surrounded by dark shadow-like smoke, horrified. He… He really was an Oni…

"Yes. You are, little one. You see it now, do you not?" Omega says as she stood before him. "You may have the blood of Dragons, their power in you but you are Oni first and foremost. That fact will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Accept it, little one. It is your destiny." She says as the powers faded.

He put his hand down, staring at the ground blankly. He can't. He can't fall into her plans. He wasn't one of them. He wasn't! His eyes caught sight of something shiny and realised it was some kind of clear crystal. His breath caught.

No.

_ Nononono. _

**_No!_ **

He- he can't be! He was… Omega knelt behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders, looking over his shoulder at the crystal.

"You can't deny what is in front of you, pup." She hummed then grasped his chin, turning his face tow her, watching as tears fell down the blackened skin of his face, his red overcasted eyes filled with despair. "Now you see…" She says, swiping a tear away with a claw.

**_"You've always been one of us."_ **

___________________________________

 

Kai was fast asleep, tucked against his Dragon sister, Nya being cradled by her Dragon brother. Jay was using his Dragon self’s wing as sheets as said Dragon slept with a stomach sprawl. Zane was resting on the front paws of his Dragon self, the Dragon’s neck on one side and his chest on the other. Cole was sleeping surprisingly well. Surprisingly since his Dragon self had his head on most of his body. All was quiet, the Dragons taking the night shift being further down the mountain. Then Kai’s glowing amber eyes snapped open as he sat up suddenly in the cocoon of Nya’s wing. She made a questioning sound, stirring from sleep.

‘Let me out Nya.’ He told her, crawling towards the tip of her wing, his mind running a mile a minute at the epiphany he had.

She does so, lifting both her head and wings so Kai could land on all fours.

‘What’s going on?’ Dragon Zane questioned peering an eye open.

‘Not su-’

‘Where did you guys get the fish?’ He asked them, cutting Nya off.

‘... From the river.’ Zane says slowly as the others began to stir.

‘But rainbow fish don’t live this far up. Garmadon said they only live in low altitudes a long time ago. Did that change?’ Kai questioned urgently.

‘No. The rainbow fish can’t live outside of low lying rivers…’ Jay says, confused.

‘The river is located underground. The mountain holds a cave system that leads down to the underground river.’ Dragon Zane told him.

‘Do you think…?’ Dragon Cole says, lifting his head off of his human self, making said person stir with a groan.

‘That’s where the Oni that took your Lloyd came from…’ Blaze says, eyes wide.

‘And if that’s the truth then the river could lead us to the Oni, without coming in contact with the cloud!’ Kai exclaimed and the Dragons all made surprised and eager sounds.

“Any idea what they’re saying?” Cole asked, glancing over at the others.

“Nope.” Nya says, watching the excitement. “Though it’ll be cool to learn.” She says and the others agreed.

“At least that way we can actually be involved in what’s going on around here.” Jay says, laying on his back as he took pictures of the sky with his phone.

“There they go.” Zane comments as Kai flew off, the Dragons on his tail.

“Should we go after them?” Cole asked, getting up.

"I don’t think we can." Nya says, watching them fly up to the top of the Monastery where Garmadon was.

There was a moment of silence.

"I hate sitting around when my friends are in danger." Cole says with a sneer, starting to pace.

"I hate it as much as you do but we're completely out of our league here. This isn't Ninjago and there are Oni down there." Jay reminded him.

"I too hate to simply wait but Jay is right. Kai seems to have a plan. By morning, I have no doubt we will be well on our way to saving Lloyd." Zane says and Cole only frowned deeper, stopping to look at them.

"But what if we wasted too much time as is? What if it's too late?" He whispered, worried and they all shared a fearful, solemn look.

"... The future is uncertain. It is best we keep a positive outlook until we can know for sure." Zane says after a moment and Cole sighed, sitting down then nodding.

…Doesn't lighten the anxiety of waiting though…

_______

'Of course.' Wu says after meeting with them on the upper level of the Monastery. 'We hadn't even considered the cave system. The channels are too small for us to fit in so we had the ash and shadow Dragons to slip through. The system may be small but a young, slender Oni could manage to slip through..' He says, tail flicking as he thought.

'That's the route we can take to get to the Oni!' Kai says, walking forward before them all. 'We aren't sure if my friends are able to resist the cloud but we all know we're the only ones that can hold in the caves. We have to go. Now.' He insists.

All 8 Dragons looked at each other.

'We don't have much of a choice.' Jay says as he shuffled his wings. 'Let's face it: our ability to do anything towards this war went away when the Oni unleashed the cloud. We can fly over it all we want but even then they can still reach us with those weird shadowy tentacle things. Us reach them? Impossible. I say let them go for it.' He says, looking to Kai.

'Unfortunately, Jay is right. Our paws are tied. It is best for us to let Kai and his friends try than to sit here waiting for them to reach us.' Zane says, and Blaze nodded.

'Hate to say it but it's true.'

'They're right.'

'We gotta let them at least try.'

'I won't lie. I absolutely hate the idea but we don't have much of a choice.' Lloyd says but then looked up with a purr. 'But we don't have to let them go alone. The Shadow and the Ash Dragons can go with them!' He says and murmurs of agreement and excitement rung out.

Wu looked to Garmadon and he sighed.

'...Very well then. You and your friends as well as the Ash and Shadow Dragons will follow the underground river and try to find the Oni lair.' He told Kai who nodded seriously. 'You must find and defeat their queen; Omega. Going in undetected would be the best means since the Oni numbers are well beyond even. The other Oni will still pursue you all but with enough light, you will be able to scare them off.' He told Kai who listened attentively.

'Right.' He says then smirked. 'Don't worry. This isn't our first rodeo. We'll be back with Lloyd before you know it.' He says confidently and Garmadon leaned down to nuzzle him, heart warming when Kai purred.

'I have no doubts.'

_______________

"You rely too much on the power of Dragons." Omega says as her stuff absorbed yet another green blast, Lloyd panting as he glared at her with glowing red eyes, his skin black all over instead of in parts. "It is predictable. Weak." She says then thumped her staff against the ground, allowing three smoky black tentacles to appear, moving towards him.

Lloyd gathered his green energy, ignoring her and blasting at the tentacles but they only split, multiplying and coming after him all the same.

"Listen to your Oni instincts, little one. Your brutish Draconic ways will do you no good here." She says and he gritted his teeth, backing up as he threw up his elemental shield.

He gasped once the tentacle passed through with ease, backing away now. He missed one sneaking up behind him and yelped once he found himself hanging upside down. At least it didn't turn him to sto-

"Woah!" He yelled once he was suddenly flung then grunted as he crashed hard into the wall of the massive lair.

The Oni nearby hissed insults at him as he fell with a grunt to the ground. His ankle was grabbed again and he yelled as he was yanked into the air and whipped around like a rag doll. He blasted the tentacle with his green energy but it remained completely untouched. His energy was completely useless against their power! But… He had no choice. He gritted his teeth, focusing. Shadows flickered along his entire body before igniting in an almost blaze, its red undertones glowing. He yelled then blasted his dark powers at the tentacle, blinking in surprise once it destroyed the entire tentacle. Huh. He yelled as he began to fall and squeezed his eyes shut. His body moved on its own, flipping over mid air and leaving him landing on his hands and feet, much like a cat. He blinked his eyes open at that.

_ Ok, that was cool. _

"You are learning. Good." Omega says then walked away. "Now is a good time as ever to meet my four generals." She says without looking back and Lloyd startles once four very talk, very muscular Oni dropped down around him, all growling at him with intent to harm.

Lloyd swallowed. This won't go well.

_______________

"Finally! We can actually do more than sit around!" Cole yelled as they were escorted partially down the mountain.

"How will we know which direction to go through?" Nya pointed out.

"I should be able to scan the caving system if it isn't extremely deep." Zane pointed out.

"I've got this." Kai says, walking in his hind legs next to them. "If any Oni passed through those caves, I'll be able to track them down thanks to this guy." He says, patting his nose with a clawed finger.

"So what? You're a bloodhound now? I thought you were a Dragon" Jay teased with a grin and they snickered as Kai huffed.

"You wish you were like me." He huffed.

"You got me there." Jay says and Kai blinked, surprised.

"You can't actually think we wouldn't be a little envious." Nya says with an arched brow, watching the dark and light coloured Dragons ahead of her.

"I… It never crossed my mind really." Kai admits, still a little surprised.

"Well it's true. I mean, who wouldn't want wings?" Cole pointed out.

"Not to mention to be able to speak to and understand Dragons when their language is so… Complex." Zane added.

"Huh." Kai says, not sure what to make of this information. "Well, I-"

“Could you quit yer yapping already?! You're all annoying!' Shade growled at them and Kai rose an unimpressed brow.

'You're just saying that because you don't understand what we're saying.' He says calmly and Ash huffed in amusement.

'Oh he got you.' He says and Shade shot him a glare.

'We're here.' They all looked up when Lloyd announced it.

They all gathered around the crack in the side of the mountain, far too small for the Dragons but large enough for them to fit through.

'Remember. You have to work together to get through this. Stick to the shadows.' Wu says, looking them over.

'Yes Elder.' The group of 7 Dragons said and they watched in awe as they turned to shadow and smoke, spiraling down the crack.

'Be careful Kai.' Kai looked up at Garmadon then walked over and nuzzled him, crossing over to nuzzle Lloyd too seamlessly, purrs ringing out from all three of them.

'I will be, don't worry.' Kai says, patting their snouts.

'Good luck.' Lloyd says and Kai grinned at him then walked over to the others. "Alright." Kai says then flipped his hood down.

"Let's go save Lloyd." He says and they all cheered.

"Allow me." Zane says then jumped in, icing the way and sliding down the shaft.

They all hopped in one by one, hooting and cheering as they slid down, spiraling a few times to ignore the wrong channels. One by one, they all landed with a splash into the glowing water. They all emerged one by one then swam over to the narrow banking.

"Holy cow the water is glowing!" Jay says excitedly, looking down at the blue green glow it gave off.

"That it does." Kai says then looked around for the others, spotting the wisps of smoke and the shadows against the wall of the cave.

'If you've all finished frolicking, we have a mission to do. With or without you.' Shade says, narrowing his eyes at them from the wall.

'Let's get going. We didn't have time to waste.' Ash says before Kai could retort.

Kai blinked once the temperature dropped, looking around to see Zane holding a large, flat piece of ice in the water.

"Water rafting anyone?" He says with a grin.

"Now you're cooking with gas Zane." Kai says with a grin.

Moments later, they were all riding ice rafts down the river, the Dragons easily keeping pace.

'Something definitely came this way.' Kai says as he sniffed at the air.

'The Oni would never live close to us, that's certain.' Another Smoke Dragon says, all of them keeping ahead of everyone in a thin mist of smoke.

'Which means we'll be traveling for a while.' Ash says and Kai frowned.

"It'll be awhile guys but be ready for anything." Kai whispered to his friends and they all held their weapons firmly.

_______________

Omega watched from her perch as Lloyd and her generals… Fooled around. Lloyd grunted as he hit the ground again, snarling as he grew angry. It's only a matter of time now…

'Omega…' She glared down at the Oni who approached her, said male not meeting her eyes out of respect. 'We have intruders approaching. They appear to be the pup's friends.' They told her and she smirked.

'... Let them come.' She instructed and he nodded then left.

She then looked at her staff, at the glittering gem at the top. Soon, she will have the means needed to destroy the Dragons once and for all… But first…

'Enough!' She orders and the generals stood back, leaving Lloyd panting with exhaustion. "It is time for a new lesson…" She says and he looked apprehensive.

______

"I'm picking up several body heat signatures around that bend." Zane says, blue eyes glowing brighter than normal as he completed his scan.

"That means we're here." Kai says then melted the ice he and Nya were perched on, allowing them to drop into the water right at the bend.

The others hopped off, wading over to the thin banking.

'Alright. Here's the plan.' Kai says, looking to the shadows and smoke. 'You guys get Omega while we get Lloyd. Fair?' He asked them.

'Indeed.' A Shadow Dragon says and Kai nods.

'Since Oni hate the light, inside should be pretty dark so you Shadow Dragons should be fine moving around. You Smoke Dragons however need to stay high. Your smoke scent is pretty distinct.' He advised them.

'This isn't our first encounter with Oni. You let us worry about Omega. You and your friends need to make sure you don't find out about us beforehand. Oh. And be ready to run at all times.' Shade says before taking off, the other Shadow Dragons following

'We've got this.' Ash agrees before the smoke Dragons also took off.

"Alright. While they deal with Omega, we'll get Lloyd." Kai says, looking to the others who nodded. "Inside will be pretty dark if not completely pitch black so you'll need to be careful. The upside is that Oni eyes glow so stay away from the glow, stay away from the Oni. We get in, find Lloyd and get him out. Hopefully the Dragons get Omega but if not, we need to be ready to run. Got it?" He asked them and they nodded.

"Good. Let's go." He says then lead them along the banking, around the corner where the river veered off.

There was a large cut out of rock that lead inside a massive cave that was no doubt unnatural. On the plus side, there was no cloud in the area. Just clean air. On the downside?... There were hundreds of Oni. Some crawling up the walls like insects, some roughhousing, some sleeping in a large pile, some eating god knows what. And in the middle of it all on a high, flat stalagmite sat the Omega, hosting one one horn and her staff. She was watching- Kai's breath caught as he sunk his claws into the rock.

"Lloyd…" Kai whispered, seeing his ripped green gi on his battered person as he faced four very big, very buff Oni, two if which were vicious looking females.

"Where?" Jay whispered, squinting in the almost pitch black darkness, seeing nothing but glowing magenta eyes.

"I have him in sight. With him being in the middle of the masses, it will be highly difficult to get to him." Zane warned.

"We have to take the risk." Kai says determinedly.

He looked tired and worn down, as if they had been going at this for a while. A long while. Was that blood? He gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he barely held back a snarl. He startled once a hand clamped over his eyes.

"Your eyes are glowing even more like that! They'll stand out! You'll stand out!" Nya whisper yelled and Kai took a deep breath but nodded.

"We'll go slow as to not attract any attention." Cole says and they nodded, allowing Kai to slowly lead the way through the large number of Oni, Zane watching their tail.

They made their way through the Oni watching Lloyd struggle to fight the four attacking him. Things were going good, too good. He didn't know much about Oni physiology but they were in plain sight amongst hundreds of them. They should have been spotted ages ago. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth however. He'll keep going and hope for the best. He'll just be wary. Soon, they were just a few steps away from him, so close but so far away. Lloyd was whacked across the face with a staff and he stumbled back and collapsed right before him.

"Lloyd!" Kai whisper yelled and Lloyd blinked dazed red eyes up at him.

"Kai?" He slurs and Kai couldn't hold back his growl of anger of how they treated him.

'Dragon!' They all startled at the growl and they looked up to see the Shadow and Smoke Dragons surrounding Omega.

"It's a-!"

"Ice!" The Omega's words were cut off by Zane blasting the large stalagmite with ice, freezing the omega where they sat.

"Let's go Lloyd!" Jay says, grabbing him by then hand as they ran, the Oni going after the Dragons, not spotting them still.

Kai ran behind them, looking around to make sure they weren't being followed when the light river wind passed his friends by and hit him. He almost fell as he stumbled to a stop.

"What are you waiting for Kai?! Let's go!" Cole says once he realised he stopped, them stopping too.

"We…" Lloyd paused to pant. "We have to go before… Before they catch us all!" He says and Kai looked him over.

He spotted something very briefly flash across his eyes and snarled, his abdomen starting to glow with his fire.

"Uh, Kai…?" Nya says warily, knowing that he was about to use his fire.

"You're… Not… LLOYD!" He roared Lloyd's name, fire pouring out of his mouth a second after and the others quickly jumped out of the way, looking on horrified from the ground as he continued to blast where Lloyd- or not Lloyd was.

_ Was _ .

"You creatures are more knowledgeable than these brutish Dragons." Lloyd spoke and they all looked up at the side of the wall he was crouched against. "It doesn't matter." He says and they watched as he grew taller, clothes fading away as the blackness spread all across his skin.

"You will perish along with them." Omega says as Kai glared her down, snarling still.

A louder, deeper growl sounded and they looked around, paling once more Oni began to encroach on them, the Dragons preoccupied with keeping out of reach of the hundreds more after them. This is bad. Kai looked back- only to grunt as he was kicked back, the Omega landing on her feet as Kai skidded back.

"Take this! Lightning!" Jay yelled, blasting her with a huge bolt but she jumped up out of the way, the blast hitting another Oni, momentarily stunning them before making them angrier.

Omega landed on her feet, standing tall as she chuckled at them.

"Your fighting is useless." She says as Cole threw an earth punch at her with a yell.

He blinked once she caught it, placing her hand against the wall and letting the impact run through her, shattering the solid stone wall like glass. She then grabbed him by said hand and twirled, wheeling him around before throwing him into Nya, making her grunt as they fell over, her water attack falling onto the ground. She moved quickly and gracefully for someone so large, grabbing Zane by the face as she ignored the ice spreading across her stomach and threw him into Jay. Both fell into the water from Nya's attack and received a painful jolt from Jay's lightning.

"... Ow." Jay groaned as Zane did.

"Face it halfling." Omega says as she watched Kai build fire into both his mouth and hands. "We are inevitable." She whispered and Kai blasted fire st her, his anger making it burn brightly, even hotter.

Once he finally needed to catch his breath, he cut his fire, panting heavily as embers left his mouth. His widened, looking at the scorched spot. Where did- a sharp blow to the back of the neck and everything went black.

_____________

Lloyd paced anxiously in opposite strides of his father, both Dragons restless with worry.

'How long should we give them?' Lloyd asked his father.

'If there is no sign of them by the sun is at its highest peak, then we must find a way to get to them.' Garmadon says, pacing still.

'We must have faith brother, nephew.' Wu says calmly, walking over to stop them from pacing a hope into the ground with his wings.

'The clouds have stopped encroaching at least.' They all looked around to see Morro approaching.

'Morro, son.' Wu says, walking over to him and nuzzling him.

Morro released a purr, returning the gesture.

'I… I need to rest for a while but if the sun has reached high peak, I may have a way of temporarily removing the clouds from an area.' He says, clearly exhausted but equally determined.

'... Very well. Hopefully things don't come to that.' Garmadon says and Morro grunted his acknowledgement, allowing his father to escort him into the Monastery.

'They're alright. I know they are.' Nya says as she approached the father son duo, her brother and their friends with them.

'Yeah! Kai's there, you know how he is. They'll all be fine!' Jay says cheerfully and Lloyd and his father exchanged a look.

'We know exactly how Kai is.' Garmadon says quietly.

'That's what worries us the most.' Lloyd whispered, walking away before flying up to the lookout.

The sky above was bright and sunny, the rings around the planet only lightly faded but the horizon was met with dark, ominous clouds as far as the eye can see… He may want this war to stop just like everyone else but he wasn't willing to lose his brother and their new friends for that to happen. If only… If only he had powers like the others…

Maybe things could be different...

_________________

Kai woke up slowly, hearing muffled voices.

"That's it Kai, wake up." Nya says and he groaned, blinking his eyes open slowly.

"There we go. How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"Like I've been sleeping for a century." He slurred, feeling groggy.

"Good. Soon, you'll be sleeping permanently." Kai jolted his head up at that, finding himself staring at an Oni with a tusk and fang-filled grin on their faces.

"Omega will see you now. You'll want to be awake for this." They spoke, voice still sounding like Nya's and Kai snarled, snapping his teeth at them as he struggled against whatever bindings were holding him back.

The Oni stepped aside as Omega walked forward, staff lightly tapping the ground. 

"Where is Lloyd?! What have you done to my friends?!" Kai demanded with a growl.

"Your friends are fine halfling. They have no further use to me." She says, gestured to the pile of unconscious ninja in the center of the lair but Lloyd was nowhere in sight. "As for the hybrid…" She looked up and Kai looked up too.

At the top of the stalagmite sat Lloyd, tied up and still defrosting from the ice Zane shot at him, shivering heavily.

"That was…" Kai whispered, surprised.

"He is one of us. He is and always have been an Oni. Just a unique one who also wields the ability to use the powers of the Dragon." Omega says with a hum. "A powerful entity he is. But he wastes his potential on the likes of the Dragons." She says with a sneer then stood back.

"So why let it go to waste? Why not do what I did to your friends? To those pathetic Dragons." She gestured to the unconscious Shadow and Ash Dragons the Oni were swarming like ants.

At least, he hopes they were just unconscious.

"Why not put that power to better use?" She continued then held her staff up, pointing it towards Lloyd and Kai pales, catching sight of the multicoloured, glowing crystal in her staff. "Why not take it?" She purred and the crystal lit up even more, smoke emitting from the staff and wrapping around Lloyd, breaking him free from the ice wrapped around his lower half.

"No!" Kai yelled as Lloyd struggled then yelled as his powers were sucked out of him, glowing green mixing with dark, ominous red.

He dropped with a grunt, rolling down the stalagmite and coming to a stop at Omega's feet, unconscious.

"And now…" She turned to Kai, pointing her staff at him. "It's your turn." The crystal lit up and Kai snarled, claws failing to cut through the strange vine he was tied with.

He grunted as he felt the crystal such his powers away yet again, the feeling just as painful as last, leaving him yelling out as the last bit of his powers stripped away from him, leaving a void inside of him. He panted heavily, all of his energy sucked into the crystal as well, leaving him looking normal again tethering on at thin line, able to pass out again at any moment.

"Yes. Finally." She says, reaching up to stroke the crystal with her clawed hands. "Collecting from the Dragons was too difficult, too risky. But the moment you all arrived, I knew the time was soon." She grinned.

"Lightning, ice, earth, fire. These elements combined creates a source of creation. These elements combined with a few added ones creates an even more powerful force. Add destruction to the mix and…" She turned away, held the staff up and it glowed near blindingly before a huge beam of energy blasted through the ceiling of the cave.

Once the light vanished, a huge hole was left overhead, revealing the clear sky, the light of day shining directly into the cave making all but Omega hiss, running away from the light. She then tapped the staff to the ground, activating the black crystal and allowing the clouds to block out the sky again.

"I have enough power to eradicate each and every Dragon, once and for all!" She yelled and the other Oni roared on celebration.

She then turned to Kai, lifting his chin with the edge of the staff as he panted from the sudden exhaustion.

"Now all I have to do…" His eyes began to close. "Is wait." The last thing he saw was her sinister magenta eyes.

___________

'The sun is at its peak and no word. We must go and find them. But how?' Wu says as he and Garmadon stood at the look out point.

'The cloud is vast and high above the ground. We cannot know exactly where they are.' Garmadon says but if Wu thinks that it would stop him from going to find his son-

'Dad look!' Garmadon turned around then gasped at the huge pillar of light erupting from the clouds a far distance away.

'That must be them.' Garmadon says, hopping off and using his wings to keep him airborne.

'But this energy…' Wu says, hovering next to him, frowning as his long moustache-like whiskers picked up on it.

Garmadon could sense it too, even without his brother's sensitive whiskers. That power… He's only felt power like that from two Dragons before. His brother. But power of this magnitude he only ever felt from their father. He made a low whine of worry, fearful for his son's well being. The power of creation. The Oni don't have that power. He thought back to what Kai told him before. The Tornado of Creation… He hopes that's what it was. But he wasn't about to sit around idly. He landed amongst the other Dragons.

'We gonna go save them?' Blaze asked, already on his paws.

'And none of that _'you need to stay here_ ' nonsense.' Nya says with narrowed eyes.

'Yeah. Our friends are in danger and I'm done sitting around.' Cole says, standing tall, his wings spread defensively.

'They have risked so much for us already, it is only fair we do the same for them.' Zane agrees.

'Yeah! We're gonna get our pals back and you can't stop us!' Jay huffed then flinched when Garmadon narrowed his eyes. 'Er. I mean, you can but uh…' He says sheepishly, all but cowering under the authority of the elder Dragon.

Garmadon gave a pleased rumble, surprising them.

'I had no intentions of stopping you. In fact, I was going to ask you 5 to come, along with Lloyd, Morro and my brother as a fail-safe.' He says and they blinked at him, surprised still. 'We have a plan.' He says and they all looked at each other.

_____________

"Ah. The climax has finally begun." Omega hummed, tapping her claws against her staff, hearing wing beats getting closer. 'This is the day we have all been waiting for, for thousands of years! This is the day you will all look back and remember as the day the Dragons ceased to exist! This day, Nindrago will be ours!' She roared and the Oni roared back, eager and ready for war, to finally take the planet as theirs.

A few clicks away, the Dragons heard the roars, confirming their worst fears.

'Those are definitely Oni. Which means…' Jay whispered.

'No. This is not the time for speculation. We must hasten our approach. Our primary objective is to rescue the ninja, the Shadow and the Ash Dragons. Once we get there we will know what other steps need to be taken.' Wu says and they nodded.

'We're here.' Garmadon says, settling into a hover over a particular spot.

They immediately scrambled when several dark tentacles shot up, at least a hundred.

'Oh yeah, definitely here.' Blaze says then used his fire to try and destroy them- but the tentacles remained unaffected. 'Ok. This will be harder than I expected.' He says, twirling and dodging tentacles but they were really gaining on them.

'Our powers are useless against them!' Jay yelled, darting around them, almost crashing into Zane.

'How do we stop them then?!' Nya roared, pulling her tail out of the way of a tentacle.

'Leave that to me!' Morro yelled then flew up higher, above the chaos of tentacles.

'Be careful son!' Wu called after him and Morro kept flying up, his eyes starting to glow as he gathered his powers.

'Here goes.' He grumbled low to himself before he took a deep breath in and began to fly in a circle rapidly, creating a vortex.

It didn't end there. The vortex split up into six, leaving five to spread out around the area and remain still, sucking the clouds and the polluted air that came with it from the area around the now visible hole to the Oni lair.

'Be quick! I won't be able to hold this for long!' Morro warned them as they struggled to fly lower, trying to not get sucked into the vortexes.

Omega sneered, not expecting the last Wind Dragon to appear and clear the cloud. She watched as her fellow Oni hissed, hiding in the shadows but she stood firm in the light, eyes narrowed. No matter. Her plans are too far along to be derailed. One by one, the Dragons dropped into their lair, growling threateningly at the Oni whom packed themselves against the shade of the walls, turning faces away from the light.

'The ninja!' Jay says rushing over to the small pile.

'The Shadow and Ash Dragons!' Nya yelled, rushing over to them, seeing multiple lacerations on them and bite marks but glad to see then breathing.

'They smell… Different.' Blaze noted but Wu was focused on Omega while Garmadon and Lloyd looked past her at Kai, tied and unconscious against the stalagmite and Lloyd unconscious just a little before him.

Snarls built in their chests.

'So nice of you to drop in. Ah. And even the useless heir to the Dragon throne graces me with his presence.' Omega says neutrally, looking as condescending as she sounded.

'You will not win Omega. Release them and surrender.' Wu says on the defense, watching her carefully.

Omega looked at him before she chuckled, an act she learned from her many travels to other dimensions.

'That's it?' She asked mockingly. 'You expect me to surrender, just because you said so? You Dragons are truly something else.' She hummed, amused.

'How about I show you a new trick I learned instead?' She says, pointing the staff at them as it began to glow.

'Get down!' Garmadon yelled as she blasted another huge beam if every at them, laughing as she kept shooting at the largest Dragons, putting hole after hole into the lair.

'You cannot defeat me! I wield too much power! This will be the end of you all!' She purred with a near psychotic grin.

'Get them out of here, now!' Wu yelled back to the others, just barely dodging a blast by veering sharply to his side.

'Take them and go! I'll get Kai and the other Lloyd!' Lloyd growled back at Blaze and the others who nodded.

Jay picked up the others and flew out while Cole lifted Shade out, Nya and Zane taking Ash. Wu gathered his own power in his mouth, launching it at her next attack. It made impact but it was no match against the new powers Omega now wielded.

'She is too powerful.' Wu says, looking across at Garmadon once she finally stopped shooting at them.

'We have to stop her somehow.' Garmadon panted.

'Don't you see? I'm too powerful! You will never defeat me! Soon your entire kind will be returned to nothing hut ash!' She yelled then laughed. 'You two have the honour of being the first… Or rather, second and third.' Her tone changed to annoyed.

She turned around and pointed the staff at Lloyd who was using his teeth to tear Kai free and he stilled, petrified under the intense light emitting from the staff.

'No!' Lloyd watched wide eyed as his father lunged at Omega, said Oni turning around to look at him, only to be knocked over, the staff flying out of her hand and landing on the ground.

She grunted as she skidded to a stop some distance away, the energy blasting just over Kai and Lloyd's head, breaking the stalagmite. Lloyd dragged ninja Lloyd out of the way and grabbed Kai out of the way of the falling rock, the sound loud in the cave.

'I can't hold this for much longer!' Morro yelled out from the outside and Wu walked over to the staff.

'You won't-' He was cut off by a dark tentacle grabbing the staff, pulling it back to Omega.

She tossed the abandoned staff once she had hers in hand.

'I'm done playing games.' She growled, walking towards them. 'The age of Dragons end now!' She snarled, suddenly swinging the glowing staff at Lloyd, Kai and his unconscious human self.

Before Garmadon could intervene, she fired the blast. Garmadon saw it all in slow motion, saw his son attempt to run but knew he wouldn't be able to make it out in time, watched as he squeezed his eyes shut, looking away, just before the impact hit in a hue of bright gold and green. The light cleared away, revealing his sons laying there, Lloyd missing a piece of his tail, none of them moving.

Something snapped inside of him.

He lowered his head, teeth gritted as he squeezed his eyes shut.

'I. Win!' Omega snarled then leveled them with a glare as she held her staff towards them. 'Now, it's your turn.' She purred, staff glowing again.

'Brother?' Wu says warily, stepping back from him once his whiskers began picking up dark energy that only grew stronger by the minute.

A dark purple aura began to form around the black Dragon before he opened his eyes, a deadly snarl ripping from his throat as he glared Omega down with overcasted blood red eyes, the red bleeding into the air with smoke trails.

'What- what is the meaning of this?!' Omega snarled, startled at the unimaginable amount of destructive energy she sensed from the Dragon, the purple, expanding aura lashing at everything close by.

'Flee! Quickly!' Wu roared out to the others on the surface who managed to get all the Dragons out without being noticed or attacked.

'What's going on?!' Zane whined back.

'Do it! Now! Get as far away as you can!' Wu roared, backing away then rushing over to his nephews.

'You will not win!' Omega yelled, pointing the staff at him and it began to glow brightly.

Garmadon suddenly lowered his head, snarling into the ground. He threw his head back with a roar, just as a new pair of massive horns burst forward from his head, curled outwards then up, an even darker purple energy building in between them as a low purple light began to glow in his mouth. Omega stumbled back, trying to fight her instincts.

_ He isn't an Oni! He is a Dragon! His size nor the size of his horns do not matter! I rule the Oni! I will **not** submit! _

Her hand shook as she struggled to focus on an attack, logic and instinct warring against each other. Wu on the other hand looked on in horror at his brother, the purple aura thickening around him.

'The horns of destruction.... Father was correct…' He says quietly, watching as his brother lifted off the ground without flapping a wing, finally unlocking his powers after so long.

He hasn't even realised that they hadn't perished. That they were very much still alive. A little bruised from the impact but alive. He had to get them to safety. He rolled both Kai and Oni Lloyd onto his nephew's wings, pulling them away from the scene, into the very narrow passage where the river was as quickly as he could.

Outside, Morro panted heavily, energy running on E.

_ Just a little longer, just a little more! Just… _

He faltered.

_ Just a little... _

The world tilted before everything went back, all the vortexes vanishing, allowing the cloud to start rapidly closing in again. He was left plummeting through the air, the ground rushing towards him.

'Gotcha!' Blaze says as he and Jay caught him by the paws.

'Let's get him out of here!' Jay says, glancing over at the hole.

'We can't! Nya and the others are stuck with the other dragons and the ninja!' Jay says, looking in the direction of where they were.

'Let's go then.' Blaze says and they flew over with Morro, laying him down with the other dragons.

'The clouds are closing in! What do we do?!' Nya says, panicked.

'We can't just leave them here!' Cole says, looking down at them.

'I won't leave them here.' Zane says and they all grew quiet.

'Neither will I.' Jay says quietly.

'I'm not gonna either.' Nya says determinedly.

'... So we'll all stay.' Kai says quietly and they all looked at each other then nodded.

They won't leave… But they hoped Wu and Garmadon will fix this… They turned to where the cloud was and where the purple mist followed. And soon.

Inside the lair, Garmadon was all but frothing at the mouth as Omega struggled still.

'You…' Garmadon spoke and Omega collapsed to her knees, fighting her instincts viciously, hating that her kind relied on it so much, that it's what kept her subjects from attacking because of their fear of the light. 'You will pay!' He roared at her, the sight of him, the bigger ~~Oni~~  Dragon with his massive horns and even larger size, fueled with raw rage had her instincts winning and she scurried back with a whimper- but it did her no good.

It was as if he had exploded. The purple aura expanded suddenly, destroying everything in its path, turning rock, and Oni alike to ash. Wu pulled his nephews close, squeezing his eyes shut as the impact rocked the entire lair, the purple energy ripping into the river cavern and destroying everything but the material Wu created and surrounded them with.

Outside, the mist and the tentacles covered the elemental dragons who all created a semi barrier for their injured friends with their wings- wings that were beginning to turn to stone.

'I love you guys.' Jay says mournfully and they nodded, feeling the cold creep into their bodies quickly, turning them to stone quickly.

They squeezed their eyes shut, accepting their faith- when a huge pillar of purple energy blasted out of the ground a distance away, where the lair was. They all looked towards it, just as stone took them and the still unconscious Morro, Shadow and Ash dragons over, leaving the unconscious ninja untouched. The purple energy ate away at the hole in the lair, making it bigger, wider, the hole and the beam rushing towards the stone dragons. By what can only be a miracle, the widening if the hole and beam stopped merely a claw's length away from the stone group as the beam weakened then disappeared. Just like that, the clouds began to vanish, sunlight pouring in on the land below for the first time in months. From the massive crater, swirling energies emerged, rushing over to the group of dragons who took a deep breath as the effects of the cloud wore off, leaving them organic once more.

Glowing energies rushed to the group laying amongst the dragons, their elemental powers returning to their hosts. Jay was the first to start to stir with a groan.

'Ugh. What happened?' Jay so as he sat up, the others getting up one by one.

'Where do we even start?' Dragon Jay huffed and Jay blinked at him.

'Maybe at-' Jay's eyes bulged open. 'Wait! I understood you!' He yelled at them then blinked as he listened to himself.

'Woah! I'm growling?! What the heck? How can I make these sounds?!' Jay yelled, panicking a little. "Can I talk normally?! Oh, I can." He says, relieved.

'Well that's new.' Nya says then blinked. "Looks like we all got our wish. In a way. I still don't have any wings." She says, looking over her shoulders then at her hands.

"I'm more concerned about why were sitting so close to this massive crater!" Cole yelled, scrambling back from the edge. "What happened?!" He yelled, looking to the dragons who gasped.

'Garmadon!'

'Wu!' They all roared before taking air, circling the- very, very big- crater.

They spotted a dark form in the middle of the crater as well as some kind of boulder and flew down.

'Garmadon!' They yelled at the elder who pushed himself up, weak from exerting so much energy.

'What happened? Where are the Lloyd's, Kai and Wu?' Zane asked asked as he walked over and Garmadon gave a woeful whine, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain.

'Omega…' He spoke after a moment to collect himself a little, moisture dripping from his maw. 'She… I…-'

'She failed.' Their heads whipped around to see Wu break through the strange looking boulder. 

'Brother! What do you mea-'

'Dad!' Garmadon's breath caught, seeing his son poke his head through the large bolder before slipping out.

'S-son?!' He stuttered then took off, running across the length of the crater as Lloyd flew his way across, spiraling after a second and crashed into him.

'Dad!' He purred, unphased from his place on top of his father, nuzzling him insistently.

'Oh son! I thought I lost you! All of you!' Garmadon purred, nuzzling him back, coiling his wings around him in a hug. 'But how?' He couldn't help but ask.

Lloyd only grinned before his scales began to glow, putting off energy that expanded into a glow, wrapping them both in a glowing green barrier.

'You-you unlocked your powers…' Garmadon says in awe.

'You did too.' Lloyd purred, nuzzling him more.

"Ugh. I need a vacation." Kai sighed after dropping out of the vengestone boulder.

"Yeah? What would you say about me?" Lloyd asked, half out of said boulder.

"Hey you're back to normal. Like. Human." Kai pointed out and Lloyd blinked, looking at his hands.

"I guess I am. Sucks that I had to get help in the worse way from her though. Ugh…" Lloyd groaned, his entire body feeling like a huge bruise.

Kai looked at him, confused.

"Apparently accepting that I'm like this wasn't enough. I had to accept that I'm also an Oni." He shrugged then shifted seamlessly and painlessly. "This… This is me." He says, looking up at Kai with vulnerable eyes.

Kai only shifted too, his wings splayed out under him.

"And this is me. But we're still the same. It doesn't change the fact that you're our Lloyd." Kai says and Lloyd smiled at that.

A black tail coiled around Kai then, picking him up and lifting him towards a worried but grateful Garmadon who immediately began doting on him. Lloyd only watched with a chuckle.

'Hey.' He looked up to see his dragon self.

'Hey. How's the tail?' Lloyd asked him, noticing half of it was gone.

'It hurts, I won't lie but it will grow back.' His dragon self shrugs then sat next to him as the others celebrated their victory. 'I'm sorry. I should have said what i had so thoughtlessly. You're right. I didn't have any experience with these things- or used to didn't have any- I sure as rain wish I didn't have any still' He grimaced and Lloyd snorts before laughing, the expressions and knowing what it's like getting to him.

'Yeah. It sucks. But the good thing is, it gets easier.' Lloyd says as he got out completely from the boulder and limped over to his dragon self and sitting next to him with a grunt, his whole body aching, but not from the change. 'With friends like ours, and a dad like yours, you'll get through it just fine.' He reassured him.

'... What was he like? Your dad that is?' Dragon Lloyd asked his Oni self.

'... A lot like yours actually. He always looked out for me and loved me, even though he was evil most of the time. He sacrificed himself to save our home but… They brought him back. He's still my dad but… they got rid of everything that makes him my dad… I don't know where he is to be honest. But he's so different from the person we knew that… Everyone considers him passed still. I miss him sometimes…' He whispered the last bit, tears falling down his dark cheeks and a green wing wrapped around him as his dragon self nuzzled his hair.

'He'll find his way back to you. I'm sure.' He crooned into his human self's hair. 'But for now, what's mine is ours.' He purred and Lloyd blinked up at him confused before Garmadon settled before him.

'I'm sorry we couldn't get to you sooner, Lloyd.' He spoke lowly, tilting his chin up with his claw and Lloyd smiled at the large dragon, holding onto his claw with a clawed hand.

'It's fine. I'm ok. I'm just glad this is all over.' He says then accepted the nuzzle the massive dragon offered him.

'But how?' Zane says, landing with his glider, his friends following after. 'Oni are creatures of destruction. Using their own element against them should not have affected them.' He says with a frown and Lloyd was just surprised he could communicate like them.

'Now that you mentioned it, my powers were useless against theirs.' He says with a frown after recovering from his shock.

'So were ours.' Jay says, walking up next to him.

'We're in a different dimension, remember?' Kai says from atop Garmadon's head, between his new horns then glided down. 'Their rules are different from ours. While in Ninjago, it's a fight fire with water situation but here? It's fight fire with fire. Or in this cake, destruction with destruction. Omega must have known that. That's why she took our powers. The dragons are beings of creation so only creation can destroy them.' He shrugged and Zane opened his mouth a few times, his logic conflicted.

'That shouldn't make sense but it does.' Nya says as Cole patted Zane’s shoulder. 'Garmadon was the only one who would have been able to stop them. His stronger destructive powers eliminated theirs. He saved the day.' She says, looking up at the large Dragon.

'Yeah!'

'Go Garm!'

'Woo!'

'Hooray!' They all cheered and Garmadon looked bashful.

'See, brother?' Wu placed a wing over his brother's back. 'I told you all those years ago your powers would be for the greater good.' He says and they all looked up when roars and wing flaps sounded.

'That it is brother, that it is.' Garmadon says with a purr.

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a heads up, when their powers was taken, it also took a portion of their life force, this the exhaustion and unconsciousness. It's their body's way of trying to recover.The series won't end here naturally. The next piece to be added is called Move on Dragons! That's all the hint you guys will get ;)


End file.
